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Sohma Curse
The Sohma Curse is a "bond" between God and the members of the Zodiac. Thirteen members of the Sohma Family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, including the Cat (see: Zodiac Legend). Akito Sohma is the current "God" of the Zodiac. Effects *Those who are possessed are born two months premature. *They transform into their zodiac animal if they are hugged by a person of the opposite sex, or if they are under a great deal of stress (such as exhaustion, sickness or lack of breath). They do not transform into animals if they are hugged by another member of the Zodiac. *They can attract animals of their possessed Zodiac animal and can somewhat communicate with them, and can be used for assistance; for example, rats are attracted to Yuki and he used their help to dig out Tohru's tent from under the landslide at the beginning of the series. *Another aspect of the curse is that it creates a "dark cloud" over the people that are cursed. In the anime, it is shown that whenever the Zodiacs turn back to their human form, they are naked and colored clouds surround their bodies. *The Sohma Family is structured in such a way to keep the bond strong and have certain rituals surrounding it. *The Cat is the only possessed member who has an additional ‘form’ and needs outside forces to keep it contained, i.e. the Juzu Beads he wears. This is a part of his curse. The Curse and The Bonds The "Curse" is from the result of God intending to create a sacred bond between himself and the animals, though this became a curse over time. The eternal bond that God created between himself and the other animals is a connection between the very souls of the animals and God. It is a very intense emotional connection. It can transcend spoken words, or direct interaction, between any of them. They don’t need to do anything to feel this connection. Kazuma Sohma explains to Tohru Honda that “words that from any other mouth would make them flinch, when said said by Akito cause such pain in their hearts that it’s as if their bodies are being torn apart” and that “none of them has a strong enough will to oppose Akito”''Fruits Basket Manga'' — Vol 12, Chapter 67 Akito also tells Tohru that the Zodiac must all return to her when the Cat, Kyo Sohma, is isolated. Some examples are: *When Akito Sohma was first conceived, Shigure Sohma, Hatori Sohma, Ayame Sohma, and Kureno Sohma all woke up crying and ran immediately to Ren Sohma, reaching out for her womb. They knew their God was in there, had just come into existence, and they had an immediate, intense, transcendent emotional connection between the Zodiac spirits inside them and the spirit of God. *When Yuki Sohma first met Akito as a child he immediately started crying and said he felt intense love and a desire to hold Akito close. However, also the desire to run away and the feeling of hatred. It’s also why Yuki has wanted to run away from the Sohma family for so long but just couldn’t. *Hatori Sohma didn’t blame Akito for blinding him, causing Kana Sohma to become sick, or making him erase her memories. The bond means that there is such a powerful connection between the spirits possessing them all that it completely overtakes them. God did not only make the connection between the eternal, lasting in the rebirth after rebirth, but he made it unbreakable, unconditional, all-consuming. The Cat's Curse The Cat is the only member of the bond who is intended to be cursed. The Cat knew what was going to happen and foresaw that God’s plan would turn sour and hurt them all in the end, but God and the other animals did not understand this at the time. They saw the Cat as rejecting and betraying them. This is why the Cat is punished for this in each rebirth. In addition to having a "true form", they are also ostracized and isolated. Shigure also explains that the Cat is used as a scapegoat. He is treated so horribly so that the other Zodiacs won’t feel so bad about their own situation. When they feel that their bond is a curse they can look at the Cat and think “I am not as cursed as him, maybe this bond isn’t so bad”. This ensures that they also won’t reject the bond and turn their backs on God. The Breaking of the Curse Although there is no definite answer to why the Curse broke, there are some hints in manga: Time The bond cannot stay intact over the thousands and thousands of years since it was first created. It naturally weakens because it is such an unnatural thing. Like most things, it breaks down and falls apart if given enough time. Shigure Sohma explains this to Isuzu Sohma, saying the curse will naturally break “eventually”. Shigure also predicts that it will break completely in their (the current generation of Zodiacs) lifetime, although maybe not until they are much older. This is because Kureno’s curse had already broken, naturally just through time, and that they were the first generation in centuries where all the spirits and God were alive at the same time. The reason why Hatori turns into a Seahorse instead of a real Dragon, and why Kureno turned into a Sparrow instead of a Rooster is also a sign of the Curse weakening. Shigure has even stated throughout the manga that he hears the sound of "something breaking". Forming other Bonds Each possessed member forming a strong bond with someone else (a complete outsider or someone other than God). Ideally, the bond becomes stronger than the one between them and God, but through being more natural. It doesn’t rely on a supernatural power or uneven feelings in order to exist. This happens when Tohru forms bonds with many of the Zodiac members and Akito towards the very end. It can be speculated the three most important Zodiacs in the bond are God, the Cat, and the Rat. God because they created the bond to begin with; the Cat because he was the first to form a bond with God, the first to drink the spell, and the one who was against it from the start; the Rat because he was the first to drink the spell and create the bond willing, so he is considered “the closest to god”. If those three have their bond weakened, then the bond as a whole will be weaker. Kyo forms a strong bond with Kazuma Sohma, with Kyoko Honda, and with Tohru Honda. Yuki forms a strong bond with Tohru, with Kakeru Manabe, and with Machi Kuragi. Akito forms a bond with Tohru towards the very end and is willing to destroy the Cat's Room and let Yuki and the others have their freedom. These actions all weaken the bond and allow it to finally break, once and for all. The Cursed Ones Trivia *Only 12 of the cursed members appear in the 2001 anime. **This includes 10 of the official Zodiac, along with Kyo and Akito. **Rin and Kureno are absent. *In the first anime, Akito bears the "core" of the curse; thus shorting his lifespan. **Additonally, the others of the Zodiac only obey Akito out of fear, not the curse. Thus Shigure and Hatori are able to restrain him when Akito lashes out at Tohru. *Since the curse broke, its unknown if the zodiac banquet is still held. If so, the Cat is likely now included. *It's possible for the cursed members of the Zodiac to have children with non-cursed humans (as Kazuma is the grandson of the previous Cat). Shigure, however, states that sex is tricky because of the curse, thus potentially causing the spouse to grow frustrated with the lack of intimacy. *Natsuki Takaya has said in interviews before that the Chinese Zodiac aspect of the story was a motif she was encouraged by her editor to add, which she picked on a whim, to fit her original intention of the story she had planned from the beginning. Category:Terminologies Category:Cursed Sohmas